- You have networking or Cisco context and want cyber operations depth.
- You are targeting SOC, security operations, or network-security paths.
- You want monitoring, host analysis, and network intrusion analysis in the exam scope.
comparison
Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity vs CompTIA Security+
CompTIA positions Security+ as a vendor-neutral security foundation with no experience requirement; Cisco positions CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly CyberOps Associate) for security operations work — monitoring, host analysis, and network intrusion analysis. Choose Security+ for a vendor-neutral baseline, and CCNA Cybersecurity when the learner is targeting a SOC role.
Choose between these for my backgroundNext source review 2026-09-07.
Certification details change. Always confirm final pricing, availability, and credential terms on the official provider page linked in the sources below before you pay for anything.
Decision comparison
Side-by-side comparison
The two credentials side by side, with the caveat that belongs to each fact. Which one is right depends on your situation.
Cited detail
| Evidence | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate) | CompTIA Security+ |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | 200-201 | SY0-701 |
| Exam length | 120 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Credential level | Associate | Foundation |
| Published exam price | $300 (exam fee as of 2026-06-25) | $439 (exam fee as of 2026-06-13) |
- Exam pass rates
- Job placement rates
- Any job guarantee
- A salary figure attributed to this certification
- A salary prediction for you personally
- Return on investment or a payback period
Related Roles
These are role mappings for career-planning context. Salary and outlook data must stay tied to BLS occupations, not to certification outcomes.
The Relationship column compares a credential's published exam objectives with the work the occupation involves, and names which credential it is describing. A role Learnerside maps to only one of the two credentials shows that one; where both map to it, both are named, and Both means they read the same way for that role. Covers the core means the objectives reach that occupation's main work, Covers groundwork that they reach what it builds on rather than the work itself, and Partial overlap that they meet it only in places; a qualifier such as after a foundation records where Learnerside reads the objectives as assuming earlier study or experience, and Overlap not classified marks a pairing we hold but have not placed on this scale. This is Learnerside's reading of published objectives, not a measurement of hiring: we have not surveyed employers, and nothing here measures how much a credential is asked for or what it does for an application.
Every wage below is the occupation's national annual median wage - the midpoint of that occupation's wage distribution - as published by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025. It is not the OEWS mean, not an average, and not a starting wage. The outlook column is the BLS Employment Projections change for the same occupation over 2024-2034. Both describe the occupation, not an outcome of holding the credential.
| Role | Relationship | SOC | Annual median wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025) | BLS outlook (2024-2034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Analyst | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate) - Partial overlap, after a foundation; CompTIA Security+ - Covers the core | 15-1212 | $129,180 annual median | 28.5% |
| Network Security Engineer | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate) - Overlap not classified; CompTIA Security+ - Covers groundwork | 15-1299 | $116,580 annual median | 8.2% |
| Network Administrator | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate) - Partial overlap, security specialization; CompTIA Security+ - Partial overlap | 15-1244 | $99,130 annual median | -4.2% |
Core source records
This table lists the page’s core content records and their checked dates where recorded. Claim-specific citations appear beside the relevant text and may not be repeated here.
Show all 35 sources
| ID | Supports | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIT-01 | Public official credential page for Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate). | Cybersecurity Associate Exam and Training - Cisco | 2026-06-09T03:15:32+00:00 |
| CIT-02 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-03 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-04 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Cybersecurity Analyst. | Cybersecurity Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-05 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-06 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-07 | Supports occupation-level labor context for IT Security Operations Specialist. | IT Security Operations Specialist O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-08 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-09 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-10 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Security Engineer. | Network Security Engineer O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-11 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-12 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-13 | Supports occupation-level labor context for SOC Analyst. | SOC Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-14 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Administrator. | Network Administrator BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-15 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Administrator. | Network Administrator BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-16 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Network Administrator. | Network Administrator O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-17 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-18 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-19 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Threat Intelligence Analyst. | Threat Intelligence Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-20 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-21 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-22 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Incident Response Analyst. | Incident Response Analyst O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-23 | Public official credential page for CompTIA Security+. | Security+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA | 2026-06-19T04:57:29+00:00 |
| CIT-24 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-25 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-26 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Junior Systems Administrator. | Junior Systems Administrator O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-27 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-28 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-29 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Penetration Tester. | Penetration Tester O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-30 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer BLS OEWS wage source | 2026-06-25T08:28:38+00:00 |
| CIT-31 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer BLS Employment Projections source | 2026-06-25T08:27:06+00:00 |
| CIT-32 | Supports occupation-level labor context for Security Engineer. | Security Engineer O*NET source | 2026-07-14T04:32:12+00:00 |
| CIT-33 | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity was renamed from Cisco CyberOps Associate, effective 2026-02-03; the vendor's own exam page names the credential the exam earns. | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity - official exam page | Date not recorded |
| CIT-34 | The exam fee shown for Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate), and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-25. | Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR, formerly Cisco CyberOps Associate) exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-25 | 2026-06-25 |
| CIT-35 | The exam fee shown for CompTIA Security+, and the date beside it, were both read from this published price source on 2026-06-13. | CompTIA Security+ exam fee - published price source, read 2026-06-13 | 2026-06-13 |
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